The U.S. Department of Labor has given Missouri a federal grant to address some infrastructure problems in northeast Missouri. Milan has received a $13.5 million federal grant to handle severe water shortages the town has been dealing with for years. At a press conference, Gov. Mike Parson says a drought earlier this year in the Milan area caused some severe water problems. The funding will be used on the East Locust Creek Reservoir Project.
Gov. Mike Parson
“Up in that region, the town up there, was like 60 some odd days from running out of water up there,” says Parson. “So, to build this reservoir up here and to be able to change the highway structure and the infrastructure around that is huge for the state of Missouri.”
Parson thinks the federal funding will clear up the infrastructure issues.
“Everybody understands how important water is up there,” says Parson. “We’ve got to figure out how we build that reservoir out to make sure to meet the demands up there. You never dream about, when you become governor, that you’re going to realize that some town in the state of Missouri is 60 days from running out of water. That means businesses, that means plants, that means schools, everything is going to be shut down. So, that was really a reality check.”
The grant will also be used to relocate Highway N to below the East Locust Creek Reservoir dam, extending and widening roads, and other highway safety improvements.
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